How to Make a Simple Sentimental Gift

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Sentimental gifts are a great way to convey feelings of appreciation or affection to another person. Sometimes, it can be a bit hard or a bit pricey to let those big feelings you have in your heart shine through the perfect gift. You don't have to think of the price or size of gifts as equal to any amount of affection. Here's a universal sentimental gift idea to help emphasize the feelings you've put into the gift, without a hefty price tag. Ideal for those that like jars, snacks and notes.

Buy a tall and transparent jar or container, with a lid. Re-use a jar if you wish. Preferably, it should be a jar that has a very tight-fitting lid, to prevent spills. A pretty container that will be useful for future purposes is ideal. You can use any container, but this gift idea will work best if the container is fairly tall, and a little wide. The next steps will give you an idea of how you'll be using the container to provide a better idea for the size and type.

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Choose your layering snack. Pick different kinds of chocolate pieces. These can be chocolate rosebuds, smarties, chocolate pebbles, white chocolate chips, etc. The idea is to choose things that will contrast each other. Each item will be in its own layer in the jar. You can choose to create a pattern of layers if your jar is tall enough and you have enough chocolate.

Plan how many layers you wish to make/fit into the jar. The width of the layers depends on your container. This depends on how thick you want your layers to look, how many ingredients you have, and how small your chocolates are. Keep the number of layers you plan to make in mind.

Write sentimental notes to your recipient. The notes will go in between each layer of snacks. They should be small enough to fit within the width/diameter of the jar, and should correspond with the number of layers you have (e.g. if you have four layers, write four notes). The first note can be at the very top of the layers and include an introductory 'To:_____ From: _____.' How you present your notes, how many, how you arrange them, and the length of the notes are up to you. If you're writing long notes and can't fit it into the container, try folding the paper, but make sure the folds are tight to prevent the note from unfolding on its own.

Make sure your layers are thick enough to cover the notes. Having a clear jar is for aesthetic purposes. It won't look pretty if there are pieces of paper visible through the jar (unless this is part of your design).

Start layering. Place the bottom layer of chocolate into the jar. Once you've placed your first layer evenly, place your last note on top of it. Remember, this is the note your receiver will read last. Once in place, cover the note up with the next layer of chocolate (which should ideally look pretty different from the first) and then place your second last note. Repeat until your jar is filled or you're out of layers. Make sure all layers are even, to create a sediment appearance through the jar.

Tips

Buying your snacks from somewhere that sells bulk food will allow you to buy only as much as you need for the gift. Also, bulk food retailers often have a variety of dried/nonperishable goods for sale that aren't too expensive.

The layers need not be chocolate. Other possibilities are nuts, dried fruit, or candy (gummy bears, rockets, jelly beans). The idea is to use some kind of small snack that your recipient will enjoy eating, all the way to the last layer.

Warnings

Give your receiver some idea that there is something within the jar other than food. If you don't, he/she might share the snack and your letters will be read by someone else unintentionally. Likewise, if your receiver isn't much of a snack lover, he/she might never get around to finishing the first layer and never notice your notes for a long time.

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 9,635 times.